Car-coupling



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet S. D. KING.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 395,750. Patented Jan. 8, 1889;,

Hllllll'n'fim WITNESSES, INVENTOH Sidne D. Z W, fi hlls'v lflm-ney 72:?

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. S. D. KING.

GAR COUPLING.

N0. 395,750. Pate t d Jan Fig. 5.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR- dz/dn'ey lllfin/y,

By 721;? .Attorney liniTsn @TATES PATENT Trims.

SIDNEY D. KING, OF PITTSTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR C-OUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,750, dated January8, 1889.

Application filed January 10, 1888- Serial No. 260,329. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SIDNEY D. KING, of Pittston, in the county ofLuzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Car-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and' exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invcntioi'l relates to an improvementin car-couplers, and moreparticularly to a class of car-coupling devices in which the draw'bar isconstructed having a slide-bolt that is moved longitudinally by a springto hold the coupling-pin in elevated position to receive and engage alink, the jar of forcible contact of the car-bumpers when they are brought together effecting a release of the pin to allow it to drop, andthus couple the cars together.

The object of my present invention is to provide a car-couplingmechanism of the spring bolt and pin type that will be simple inconstruction, practical in operation, and perfectly reliable under allthe varying exigencies of the service to which it is applied.

A further object is to construct an automatic car-coupler that may becoupled without jar or concussion of the dead-wood or bumper; also, thatmay be coupled on curves, and that will. permit cars of varying heightsto be unfailingly coupled antomatically.

A further object is to provide an automatic car-coupler that may beoperated to couple or uncouple cars by hand without danger to theoperator, and that from its peculiarities of construction may beproduced complete by cheap processes inquantity at a low cost and bereadily applied to ordinary freight or pets senger cars without anyalteration of their timbers or platforms being necessary.

tVith these objects in view my invention consists in certain features ofconstruction and combinatioi'is of parts, that will be hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents an end elevation of a car-body withthe car-coupler and operating device in position on it. Fig. 2 is abottom perspective of a car-platfor1n with the car-coupler andoperating-lever in position. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of one end ofa car-frame with the car-coupler and its operating-lever in position,with part of the draw-head removed to show its interlor. Fig. 4 is acentral section through the drawhead. Fig. 5 is a like section of amodified form. Fig. 6 is a modified form of the coup ling-pin.

A is the draw-head or body of the car-coupling, this being preferablymade of cast-iron. It may be made of low-grade cast-steelsuch as isemployed for machine-casting-or by modification of form it may be forgedfrom wrought-iron. The front end, A, of the drawhead is formed so as toproduceflaring walls usually provided in this type of coupler, so as toadmit the coupling-link at different angles laterally and vertically.

In the body of the draw-head A a slide-bolt, B, is placed, that restsagainst a spiral spring, B, which projects the bolt forward a limiteddistance that is determined by the set-screw bolt a, which engages anopen slot formed 011 the lower surface of the bolt, the shoulders of theslot abutting against the body of the setbolt and preventing it frombeing projected out of the cavity in which it slides.

The draw-head A is supported in position between the sills 1 2 of thecar by a transverse bar, I), and two guide-plates, C, which are attachedto the car-sills to hold in position a spiral spring, C, which bearsagainst the rear end of the draw-headA to neutralize the percussion dueto abutment of cars while being coupled or when moving and. suddenlyarrested in their progress, this spring being held in operativeposition. with regard to the draw-head A by the bent strap D, which hasits sides parallel and secured at the ends by rivets or bolts to therear portion of the drawhead, so as to loosely embrace the spring 0' andsupport it to engage the draw-head, as has been stated.

The forward end of the draw-head A is perforated vertically at or nearits center and at such a distance from the front edge as to afford aproper strength of material between the hole and this front edge. Theperforation just described is intended to receive the coup ling-pin E,which is made of such a size proportionately as to loosely fit it and bepermitted to rise and fall therein freely by gravity when allowed to doso.

The usual dead-wood or bumper blocks, F F,

are made to project in front of the cross-timber I of the platform, towhich they are firmly affixed on each side of the draw-head A, thenormal position of which locates its front edge about in a line with theouter faces of these blocks F F, which are generally faced with metallicplates to-prevent splintering of the wood.

The coupling-pin E has its upper end made with a flattened tubularpiece, E, formed at a right angle to its body, and when it .is inposition in the draw-head it projects rearwardly a short distance. Therear end of this hollow head of the con 'iling-pin. is preferably flaredsidewise.

The body of the coupling-pin E is serrated on its side or portion of thebody that will be in contact with the forward end of the slidebolt Bwhen in position, these transverse notches producing a series of teeththat have a tendency to look upon the upper corner of thespring-actuated slide-bolt- B when the pin is elevated, this engagementcausing the pin to be held inelevated adjustment when it is raised, aswill presently be explained.

Upon each side of the draw-head A, between it and the adjacent dead-woodblocks F l the loop G is secured to slide vertically in guides G G,which are bolted to the front face of the cross-timber'l. The loop G isbent out of round iron of proper thickness for strength, so as toproduce an eye, f, at or near its center of width and a proper distancebelow the draw-head A, the sides being made parallel to engage theguides l G, above which the ends of the loop are each bent horizontallytoward the center of the draw-head and then outwardly in a line with thelongitudinal cen ter of the draw-head A, thus forming by thesecontiguous projecting ends g of the loop G a short arm which .is made toenter the tubular head E of the coupling-pin E. The arm g of the loop Gfits neatly between the top and bottom walls of the head E, but hasconsiderable lateral play afforded by the peculiar construction of thistubular head to avoid rigidity in the joint, and yet permit the loop tooperate the pin vertically when it is made to slide upward in its guidesG G.

Upon the sides of the sills 1 2 the depend ing hangers hare bolted.These are perforated to give rotative support to the shaft J, which isextended across the carat this point. At points 2' z' the shaft J isbent to extend forwardly and upwardly to enterthe depending loops K,which are secured to the front crosstimber, I, of the platform.

The-outer ends, J, of the shaft J are bent at points just inside of theloops K to cause these ends J to lie in a plane parallel to and directlybelow the cross-timber I, so as to permit the free ends of the shaft tobe grasped by a party desiring to operate the couplingpin E.

At a point near the center of the shaft J, between the sills l 2, thearm L is fixed to the shaft and made to extend toward the loop G andenter the eye f of this loop, the free end on of arm L, that enters theloop, being extended through it a proper distance to insure itsretention therein, so that the arm will not be withdrawn from the eye bya reciprocating movement of the loop.

The link M, which is employed to'connectcars, is of the ordinarypattermbeing simply an oblong ring of round bar-iron of proper width andlength to suit the purposes for which it is employed. In operation, thepin E is elevated by a partial rotation of the shaft J, which will raisethe pin by a vertical. elevation of the loop G. The pin will be retainedin elevated adjustment by the tension of the spring that pushes forwardthe slide-bolt l3 and causes its top edge to engage one of thetransverse grooves or notches cut in the adjacent surface of the body ofthe pin. This exposes the face of the slide-bolt, and by a forcibleinsertion of the link the bolt will recede and allow the pin E to fallby gravity, this being aided by the weight of the loop G and arm L,which have also been supported by the engagement of the pin andslidebolt, as has been previously mentioned. hen the link M is engagedby the pin, on its inner surface and pushed against by the slide-bolt Bat its end which is in contact with this bolt, the body of the link willbe held extended outwardly and may be set to incline either up, down, oron either side to enter an opposed draw-head of an approaching car,which has previously been adjusted to allow the link to enter byelevating its pin. hen the cars collide with their bumpers or dead-wood,the

jar willdislodge the pin of the approaching car, and, as the link hasentered the draw-head to effect this dislodgment, an automatic couplingof the cars is thus effected, which may be made on a curve with the samefacility as 011 the straight track. It is also apparent that thefacility with which the link may be inclined upward or downward willafford a means of coupling cars whose platforms are of differentheights.

A modified. form. of the pin E is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the tubularhead being replaced by loops of different forms that will effect thesame result as is attained by the form shown in the other figures.

Other slight changes might be made in the forms of the loop andpin'without departure from the spirit or exceeding the scope of myinvention. I do not, therefore, desire to restrict myself to the exactforms shown; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a draw-head, a spring-actuated slide in thedraw-head, and a coupling-pin adapted to beheld in an elevated positionby the slide, of a yoke loosely mounted in the end of the car, said yokehaving a sliding connection with the coupling-pin, substantially as setforth.

2. The combinatiomwith a s pri. n -0ushion ed.

draw-head, a spring-actuated slide therein, and a coupling-pin adaptedto be held in an elevated position by the slide, of a yoke looselymounted in loops secured to the end of the car, said yoke having asliding connection with the coupling-pin, and an actuatingshaft havingloose engagement with the yoke, sulJ- stantially as set forth.

3. The combination,with a spring-ens]lioned draw-head having aspring-actuated slide therein, and a coupling-pin adapted to be held inan elevated position by said slide, said pin having a loop in its end,of a yoke arranged to slide in loops secured to the end of the car,

SIDNEY D. KING.

lVitnesses:

C. 0. KING, JOSIAH SIGLIN.

